]]>http://dailythunder.com/2015/08/saturday-morning-cartoons-josh/feed/0Friday Bolts – 7.31.15http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/friday-bolts-7-31-15/
http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/friday-bolts-7-31-15/#commentsFri, 31 Jul 2015 16:15:22 +0000http://dailythunder.com/?p=33645Chris Forsberg of ESPN Boston on Perry Jones: “It’s a combination of size and athleticism that intrigued Boston about the 23-year-old forward, enough so that the team was willing to acquire his guaranteed deal from the Oklahoma City Thunder and bring him to training camp despite now carrying 17 guaranteed contracts — two more than the regular-season limit. Jones faces a climb to make Boston’s roster. Despite flashes of potential, he’s had a rather unremarkable three-year NBA career while averaging 3.4 points and 1.8 rebounds over 11.7 minutes per game. Injuries and a lack of opportunity have contributed to appearing in only 143 games and playing only an average of 558 minutes per season.”

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider projecting Cam Payne’s rookie year: “We didn’t get a chance to see Payne this summer because of a fractured finger he suffered on his non-shooting hand during pre-draft workouts. The injury shouldn’t hold Payne back much, but with Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin ahead of him on the depth chart, he’s unlikely to see regular minutes as a rookie.”

Jerry Colangelo on KD backing out of USA Basketball last summer: “Kevin Durant, a little bit of a different story. I think he was affected some by Paul George’s injury. I also think a lot of things were going on with Kevin Durant with his career and his contract. Things were changing. He wasn’t the same Kevin Durant who was wide-eyed and bushy-tailed when he first stepped on to the court for USA Basketball. He had a lot going on in his life. So when he said he was going to pull out, I wasn’t surprised. I could kind of see it coming. I didn’t see the same vigor. He was always so active and positive. He had a different look to him.”

Darnell Mayberry: “For Huestis, the deal allowed him to be selected higher than he was projected to be taken and secure a long-term commitment from a franchise. For the Thunder, it was a deal that saved a roster spot and nearly $1 million in payroll last season but also afforded the franchise an opportunity to have Huestis’ rights and develop him for five years as opposed to the standard four.”

Sean Highkin of PBT: “Huestis likely won’t play much — he plays the same position as Kevin Durant, who is expected to be healthy. But the Thunder took an unorthodox approach with drafting him in the first round and then sending him down to the D-League. If they’re happy with his development and decide the experiment was a success, it could be the first in a trend.”

The Thunder announced they have signed Huestis, a first-round draft pick in 2014, to a four-year, rookie-scale contract.

“We are excited to add Josh to our roster as he allows us to continue to increase our depth through his athleticism and versatility,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. “Josh knows our culture and our organization as a result of his time with the Blue, and we look forward to his continued development with the Thunder.”

Huestis was selected 29th overall in 2014 but became the first “domestic draft-and-stash” after working out a predraft arrangement with the Thunder to not sign his guaranteed rookie-scale deal, which would have paid him $918,000 last season. (If you’re unfamiliar with the unique situation, read here.) Instead, Huestis spent the season with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, making roughly $25,000.

With Huestis signing now, he will be under the 2015 rookie scale and make $950,200 this season.

The arrangement was certainly strange, but mutually beneficial. Huestis wouldn’t have been a first round pick last season, and now is making first round money, but just a year later (and a little more, to boot). And he’s betting on a year of development helping him have a chance to get a second contract later on.

Will he have any kind of an impact this season? Very unlikely. In fact, he may just end up being right back where he was last season in the D-League, although much more well paid. Huestis didn’t exactly make any significant developmental jumps last season. He was solid defensively and a very active intangible guy, but his offense and shooting left quite a bit to be desired.

With Huestis, the Thunder now have 15 guaranteed contracts on their roster.

]]>http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/thunder-sign-josh-huestis/feed/0Thursday Bolts – 7.30.15http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/thursday-bolts-7-30-15/
http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/thursday-bolts-7-30-15/#commentsThu, 30 Jul 2015 10:55:25 +0000http://dailythunder.com/?p=33639Brad Doolittle of ESPN Insider on most and least improved teams: “Getting Pierce to sign filled the Clippers’ biggest hole, but not far behind on the to-do list was upgrading a woeful bench. The talent level in that regard has been unquestionably improved, with Prigioni, Stephenson, Smith and Aldrich taking over for a quartet that collectively would have been forecast to produce minus-2.2 WARP. Doc Rivers has to figure out how the talent will fit, and that’s a concern. The starting lineup is off-the-charts good, but how will a bench group that includes, Stephenson, Smith and either (or both) of Austin Rivers and Crawford share the ball? Either way, it’s a much better problem for the Clippers’ boss to tackle than the one he faced before the endearingly fickle nature of DeAndre Jordan kept him in an L.A. uniform.”

Marc Stein of ESPN.com says OKC will make the biggest jump in the West:” Oklahoma City, as long as you’re prepared to assume a mostly healthy season for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Billy Donovan’s move to the NBA, like Fred Hoiberg’s in Chicago, will be a source of season-long curiosity. The talent, though, is too good when available ‎for the Thunder not to make their traditional run at 55-ish wins, no matter how the new coach fares.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com with reasons LeBron shouldn’t do Space Jam 2: “Hunter S. Thompson used to write columns on mescaline, and even he would think that plot construction was out there. The central premise that makes Space Jam work is your average cartoon vs. real life slapstick intersection combined with the absurdity of how casual everyone is about the unfolding chaos. The problem, of course, is that surreality has gone to new forms and levels in the 20 years since Space Jam came out. FX had a show about a man who was a dog in a dog costume. Adult Swim has brought animation to entirely new levels. So building upon those concepts are not going to work as well. The parts of Space Jam that work are things which are hard to track down nowadays.”

Jason Quick of The Oregonian on Wes Matthews: “He believed he was a viable option for teams, even as he continued to rehabilitate a ruptured left Achilles tendon suffered in March. In the days leading up to free agency, Matthews’ camp released video to ESPN showing him jogging in place, utilizing lateral movement and shooting jumpers. He was, he wanted the league to know, ahead of the eight-month recovery time estimated by doctors. A story also leaked that Matthews expected negotiations to start at $15 million a season, or almost $8 million more than he made last year. It was a ghastly number for the Blazers, even though they could technically afford him. Paul Allen is the richest owner in sports, but after a lost era during which he paid more than a combined $100 million to Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, only to see their knee injuries become chronic, Allen was wary of paying top dollar to a player coming off a serious injury.”

]]>http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/thursday-bolts-7-30-15/feed/0Wednesday Bolts – 7.29.15http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/wednesday-bolts-7-29-15/
http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/wednesday-bolts-7-29-15/#commentsWed, 29 Jul 2015 14:52:04 +0000http://dailythunder.com/?p=33635Jenni Carlson on the orange unis: “Certainly feels that way around here now, but because we were a college-only-sports state for so long and so passionately, it took our brains a bit to re-calibrate. That’s why the Thunder didn’t roll out an orange jersey right away. That’s why it waited seven years. Every fan doesn’t love the orange alternate uniforms. That much is clear. But Bedlam allegiances are no longer all things to all people all the time. Paradise lost? Not even close.”

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider with under the radar 2016 free agents: “Having lost four starters over the offseason, the Blazers have more minutes and larger roles to offer their young players. Crabbe and Leonard, along with fellow impending free agent Maurice Harkless, could be beneficiaries. Crabbe averaged 15.5 points during an impressive run in the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, and he figures to earn extended playing time as Portland’s best shooter on the wing. Leonard, the only NBA player to post a 50/40/90 season in 2014-15, will also provide much-needed floor spacing for the Blazers’ traditional pick-and-roll big men, Ed Davis and Mason Plumlee. He has a good shot at doubling last year’s 847 minutes played after emerging as Portland’s best partner for departed LaMarcus Aldridge during the playoffs.”

Zach Harper of CBSSports.com on if KD is still the second best player: “Unequivocally yes. I think the majority of basketball fans can on some level see or even admit that LeBron James is the top player in the world. Some people outside of that will have an inkling to go with the new shiny object in Anthony Davis. And Anthony Davis will be that guy some day. It may even be some day soon. You could go with MVP Stephen Curry or runner-up MVP James Harden or try to come up with another player who may deserve consideration if we play the “What if” game through enough rounds. But the answer is still hands down Kevin Durant. He didn’t go away. He didn’t lose his talents. He isn’t a broken man. At least, we hope not. He’s still the Slim Reaper or the Durantula or just that lanky 6’11” guy pretending to be a shorter height in an effort to make his insane game on the court make a lot more sense. He’s the best scorer in basketball. He’s one of the best scorers of all time. He has a complete game, and when he steps back on the court this coming season, we’ll remember exactly what we were missing for 55 games and the playoffs in 2014-15. It’s Durant and it shouldn’t be close … at least not yet.”

The Thunder will host Turkish team Fenerbache Ulker in a preseason game on Oct. 9, it was announced on Tuesday.

The hook here is that Fenerbache was Enes Kanter’s professional team in Turkey. He joined them when he was only 14 years old, and joined the senior squad when he was 16. Kanter’s time with Fener was the big problem when he signed with Kentucky, but was ruled ineligible by the NCAA because of the money he earned while with them.

The Thunder took on Fenerbache in the preseason a couple years ago in Istanbul, beating the Turkish side 95-82.

That’s the third preseason game that’s been nailed down. Along with Fener, the Thunder will take on the Mavs in Tulsa Oct. 13 and at the Jazz on Oct. 20.

]]>http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/thunder-to-host-fenerbache-ulker-in-preseason/feed/0Tuesday Bolts – 7.28.15http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/tuesday-bolts-7-28-15/
http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/tuesday-bolts-7-28-15/#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 15:39:13 +0000http://dailythunder.com/?p=33627Perry Jones: “That’s frustrating for anybody, especially having those good games and I was feeling good about myself and confident and then things change,” Jones said. “I had my injury and everything came back, things went back to the way they were. It was frustrating, but it has taught me a lot and it’s taught me I can play in this league.”

John Schuhmann of NBA.com has OKC ranked sixth: “The Thunder ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency three straight years and through the All-Star break last season. Then injuries and Enes Kanter brought them down. Kevin Durant’s health is the key to everything, and the offense will be potent health-permitting, but they just gave $70 million to a guy who they can’t play when they need stops.”

Zach Lowe of Grantland on the Hornets: “If Batum explodes in Charlotte and decides to stay, the Hornets may end up executing the same plan on a one-year delay: keep the guy brought in from another team, hit some midround draft picks, nab sub-star free agents, and work smart trades like the deals that turned Matt Barnes into Jeremy Lamb. If you’re going to build from the middle without a homegrown star, the only way up is to pile together little hits — especially since Charlotte can’t compete with Philly, Boston, or even Phoenix in putting together trade offers for disgruntled stars. Hell, even a team that nails every step of a clearly delineated plan from a pure value perspective, like the current Celtics, can get stuck in the middle just as long as a team with a murkier blueprint.”

Chris Manning of Hardwood Paroxysm: “Unless you’re on the floor during the game, you aren’t getting live reps. It’s harder to live without those reps when you’re in your mid thirties like Miller. Looking back, he was destined to fail when he started against the Bulls. Last season as a whole did nothing to suggest that Miller will be a useful player at the beginning of this season. As he pursues a new deal, he’ll be 35 and will turn 36 in the middle of next season. Whatever team signs him will be taking some kind of risk, as they’d be rolling some dice not loaded in their favor in banking on Miller being a part of their rotation. Wherever he goes, Miller is going to be pushing back against the inevitable.”

]]>http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/tuesday-bolts-7-28-15/feed/0Monday Bolts – 7.27.15http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/monday-bolts-7-27-15/
http://dailythunder.com/2015/07/monday-bolts-7-27-15/#commentsMon, 27 Jul 2015 15:49:10 +0000http://dailythunder.com/?p=33624Kurt Helin of PBT on the LA workout: “NBA players, sometimes teammates, getting together in a small group (maybe three) is not uncommon. Especially at UCLA, which has one of the best off-season runs going. However getting 10 teammates together, working out and bonding in July, is very rare. It’s a good sign in you’re a Thunder fan. The Thunder need to stay healthy after a season where they got more than their fair share of injuries. They need Donovan to bring a modern offense to the table. They need their defense to be elite. They need the Enes Kanter/Steven Adams center rotation to work. They need some breaks to go their way in a West stacked with contenders (the Warriors, Spurs, Clippers, and Rockets are in the mix, too). But 10 guys getting together in July? That’s a very good place to start.”

Anath Panadian of CBSSports.com: “The relationship he has developed with his teammates could be the deciding factor in Durant’s free agency decision, and it looks like that bond has grown even stronger with the Thunder’s voluntary Los Angeles minicamp. If the Thunder win the championship next season or even make it to the Finals, it is hard to see Durant leaving OKC.”

SLAM talked to the guy doing the impression videos: “Yeah. I’m guessing his mentions were going crazy, but I’m also really good friends with Ant Morrow, that’s one of my boys, and I knew he was gonna find a way for Westbrook to see it. He was like, “Durant really likes the video.” Him and Westbrook, they’re always on their phones.”

Darnell Mayberry on camp storylines: “Who will be the starting shooting guard and center. We grew accustomed to Scott Brooks’ way of doing things after seven seasons. His starting lineup was incredibly consistent and as a result became unbelievably predictable. But with first-year coach Billy Donovan we have no idea which direction the Thunder will go at shooting guard and center. Most assume Steven Adams will start. But who knows? And there’s not even educated guesses at this point about the starting shooting guard. With the Thunder set to return with the deepest team it’s ever had, the decisions Donovan makes regarding his first five will be what intrigues me most.”

Anthony Slater on Mike Miller: “Plus OKC likely doesn’t have a spot for him. After the recent trades of Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones, the roster currently sits at 14 players. But former first-rounder Josh Huestis is likely to sign a contract soon, taking up the last available slot. A trade of Steve Novak — basically a Mike Miller lite — could free up a place and would even save money (Novak is making $3.75 million next season and Miller will presumably get the veteran’s minimum on his next deal). But that would require the Thunder to add an incentive (likely a draft pick) to Novak’s contract to even find a trade suitor. Is that worth it for a 13th or 14th man? Not likely.”